The Space Between Us
by FoxFlyer
Summary: A Brotherly Love story that evolves (very, insanely slowly) into something like a romance. If you're not a fan of this pairing in a sexual manner, please don't read.
1. Prologue: First Contact

Hi there!

I'm FoxFlyer and today I'm uploading the most questionable kind of story in existence.

That being said.

If you don't like incest, or this pairing portrayed in a romantic manner, then I don't have time to listen to you whine about it. Please leave.

Ok, everyone else.

I don't own BH6 or the lovely tag picture. I found it on the interwebs and it joined my folder of Hiro and Tadashi fan art.

We're starting out insanely slowly because that's the way Tadashi wanted it.

* * *

Hiro and Tadashi were the kind of brothers who didn't think it was weird to cuddle on the couch during a late night movie. They didn't balk at the thought of sitting close enough together in the car that their thighs touched. At the supermarket, Tadashi let Hiro drag him around by the hand and wheedle and needle him until he relented and bought that huge chocolate bar. Then Hiro would turn right around and give him half of it. They strolled through the park hand-in-hand, slept in the same bed if one of them was having nightmares, and had shared an evening bath until Tadashi turned thirteen and Aunt Cass decided it wasn't appropriate. Even then, Tadashi would sneak into the bathroom and read a comic while Hiro played with the bubbles until the bath water got cold, and Hiro would wander into the shower with him and enjoy the steam until the hot ran out.

Never once did either of them think anything of it. Besides Aunt Cass, they were the only family that either of them had. It was natural that they would be close. But it occurred to Hiro one night, lying awake with the blankets pulled up over his head after a heart-poundingly scary dream, that they hadn't done any of those things in a while. Not since Tadashi had started college and begun working on... well, whatever it was he did nowadays. He clenched himself into a tighter ball and tried to remember the last time the two of them had just... hung out. Together. Close. He squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. No good. It didn't matter that he couldn't remember the dream, the lingering fear of it was preventing him from sleeping. He sat up, keeping the blanket tight around him, and peered across the room at the privacy screen separating their beds.

"Dashi?" The old nickname felt unfamiliar in his mouth. When was the last time he'd called his brother by it? There was no movement across the room. He swallowed to wet his throat and tried again, a little louder. "Dashi?"

"Mmmm sit Hi?" Tadashi's words ran together.

Hiro carefully stood up and made his way across the room. He stood just to the side of Tadashi's privacy screen and collected himself. "I... I had a bad dream." He waited with bated breath.

There was a long stretch of quiet, followed by a yawn and the word "Mere."

Hiro tiptoed around and flopped onto the bed beside Tadashi. His brother instinctively moved closer and curled his broad body around Hiro's lithe one. One big arm flopped across his chest and pulled him close. Hiro was instantly awash in his brother's heat and the smell of his minty-fresh breath. These smells, Tadashi's smells, surrounded the younger boy and lulled him into a half-sleep. The fear from before was still there, combated by the safety he felt when he was close to his older brother. It didn't take long for him to drift off to sleep again.

* * *

Ta da! One slow, sweet prologue to get us started.

Don't worry, I have lots more written. I just want to see how people react to this to begin with.

I can't stress enough how slow moving this is. It would lose a race with a slug. It's probably faster than molasses though. =)

See you next chapter!


	2. Chapter 1: A Nap and a Nightmare

Hey! FoxFlyer here again!

So I'm terribly sorry about the day, I meant to upload last week but FanFiction was being stupid and I ran out of time. The slow drip that is this story continues on... slowly. Might have to change the parameters of it if they don't start bumping uglies, but in my defense I don't like PWP.

Enough of me, here's what you want. XD

* * *

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window and illuminated a sweet scene. Tadashi was on his back, sprawled across the entirety of his bed. Hiro, still wrapped in his blanket, was curled up tightly beside him. The two probably would have slept the morning away if not for three hard raps on the wall below the landing. They both sat up at the same time and gave each other drowsy, confused looks as their aunt called a greeting.

"Boys are you up? The cafe is closed today so I made breakfast! Woo, go me!" Aunt Cass was a morning person. "I'll see you downstairs in a few minutes, ok?"

"Yes Aunt Cass," they chorused in unison.

Tadashi yawned and stretched. "Is there any particular reason you're in my bed, Hiro?"

"You don't remember?"

"Wouldn't have asked if I did." Tadashi stood and began to rummage through his dresser.

"I had a bad dream last night and you said I could come sleep with you."

Tadashi turned, one eyebrow raised. "I thought you'd outgrown that." He sounded surprised.

"Last night's dream really frightened me. I couldn't get back to sleep." Hiro realized he sounded defensive and quickly backtracked. "Plus we haven't slept together in a long time. Wasn't it kind of nice?"

Tadashi turned away again and seemed to be puzzling it over. Hiro watched him strip out of his pajama shirt and pull on a button-up. His brother always did have a different sense of style than the younger teen.

"It was nice," Tadashi said finally, "and I think I do remember. You were on the other side of the screen until I said you could come over." He grinned. "My Hiro senses must have been tingling."

Hiro snorted. "Hiro senses. Right." He noticed Tadashi staring. "What?"

"Maybe where you come from you can just change your pants in front of another person. I can't."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot." Hiro hopped up and scurried back to his side of the room.

They had gotten that talk right around the time Hiro 'hit puberty'. So, as soon as he'd turned thirteen, Aunt Cass had sat him down and attempted to explain to him what he'd be experiencing. She hadn't failed exactly, but Hiro didn't notice it happening. Or feel it, really. One of the things she had stressed with him, however, was body privacy, something he hadn't been concerned about before or since. Tadashi had taken that opportunity to pull him aside and explain it a little further (and to go over the other stuff a lot more thoroughly. He'd almost overstepped, honestly) and Hiro was glad for it. Since then, Tadashi had wanted more of his own privacy and Hiro respected that. Or tried to. Sometimes he slipped up. He waited to change until Tadashi left the room. It took him considerably less time, he simply changed from one pair of shorts into another and traded his dirty hoodie for a clean one. He didn't bother with his hair, it always did whatever it wanted. He checked his teeth in the mirror and scurried downstairs.

Aunt Cass had done it again. If she wasn't melting your face off with hot wings or blowing you away with her dessert, she was making your mouth water with stacks of super-thin pancakes ("Crepes!" She and Tadashi both yelled at him,) fresh fruit and whipped cream. Normally Hiro was too distracted to eat, but when he remembered to be hungry (like now, for instance) he could eat himself into a food coma. After Hiro devoured two dozen of the 'crepes'; Tadashi finally put his foot down and shooed him out of the room.

"Not only have you eaten more than half of them; you're also sort of making me sick," his brother told him firmly. "If you're still hungry in ten minutes, you can come back in and have the rest of them. I'm sure Aunt Cass won't mind."

"Not in the least! I'll have to remember to make more next time, I always forget Hiro eats like a horse."

"Well, technically Aunt Cass-"

"Oh no, no you guys don't. Not this early on the morning in a weekend." He frowned. " _In_ the morning. _On_ the weekend. See? I'm not awake enough for this. Come back in a few hours when the sun is higher." Tadashi placed his hands firmly on Hiro's shoulders and forced him out of the room.

"What's the matter big bro? Can't keep up with the genius and the genius's aunt?"

"I know you got that big brain from somewhere and I would not be surprised if it was from her side of the family, but we are not having this conversation now. I am too tired."

Hiro felt a small twinge of guilt. "You are?"

"Oh hey buddy, don't worry, it's not your fault. School's just been rough for the past few weeks." He wrapped his arms around Hiro and gave him a quick hug. Then he smirked and pushed the younger boy onto his bed.

Or tried to. Hiro spun, caught Tadashi's wrist, and pulled him down on top of him. They fell in a tangle of arms and legs. Aunt Cass had turned the radio on as they'd ascended the stairs and was singing along with it. That was a relief, because if she'd heard them she'd be up in a heartbeat. Hiro suddenly recalled a time from when they were younger. He and Tadashi had been wrestling around on the floor one evening after the cafe was closed. They had gotten a little too rough and Hiro's head had slammed against the wall. It probably would have been no big deal, but that was before he knew how to keep quiet and he'd squealed like a stuck pig. Not only had their wrestling matches ended, but he'd gotten Tadashi in trouble. Or maybe that was too harsh. Tadashi had gotten a heavy scolding and been reprimanded regarding 'fighting' and 'Hiro's size'. Hiro had a feeling that if their dad had been alive, he'd have been more understanding.

Tadashi had been trying to get up while Hiro was lost in thought, but the younger boy had a vice grip on his older brother's wrist. Hiro blinked his dark eyes and looked up into Tadashi's lighter ones. For some reason, his brother blushed. Hiro reached up and wrapped his arms around Tadashi's shoulders. He pulled down slow, expecting Tadashi to try and break away. It didn't happen, and Hiro wound up with his older brother's head on his chest. It felt strange, not in a bad way, but in a we-haven't-done-this-in-a-long-time-and-I-don't-know-why kind of way. He heard and felt Tadashi sigh, a pleasant rumble that rolled through his body.

"What are we doing, Hiro?"

"I think we're cuddling."

"You _think_ we're cuddling?"

"Well here, come up closer."

Tadashi shifted up so his head was on the pillow and Hiro wiggled around until he was tucked up against Tadashi's front. He felt pleasantly warm and just a little fuzzy around the edges. His eyelids were heavy and he pressed the heels of his hands against them.

"How come we don't ever do this anymore?"

"Do what?"

"Cuddle."

"Aunt Cass thinks we're too old for it."

"Oh."

"We had that talk, remember? Something about it being inappropriate for our age group, yadda-yadda-yadda." A pause. "Yadda." Tadashi giggled.

"Well maybe we should start doing it again. I mean just when Aunt Cass isn't around." Hiro held his breath.

"I'll admit, I have missed it. It feels like I never see you anymore." Tadashi seemed to be considering it. "But if she finds out I don't know how she'll react."

"We can just tell her I'm having nightmares."

A long pause. "Are you?"

"No. I mean yes. I mean sort of? They're scary dreams but I don't know what they're about. I just always wake up afraid."

"How long has that been going on?"

"A while." He didn't say, 'since you started attending college classes', or 'since you started spending less time with me'. Those things weren't Tadashi's fault and he didn't want to lay on any guilt.

Tadashi adjusted his position and pulled Hiro close. "I'm here for you little brother. If you ever need to sleep with me after one of those dreams, you can just come over." He softened his voice to a whisper. "I've missed us being close too."

Those words soothed something deep down inside Hiro, something he didn't even know he'd been feeling. A goofy smile slid across his face, and he ducked his head to hide it. Tadashi settled his nose somewhere behind the smaller boy's neck and was out. Hiro could feel the change in his breathing. He let his own eyes fall shut and fell forward into oblivion.

* * *

It wasn't a long nap by any means, just enough time to get the big hand on the clock to move from one spot to the other. Hiro woke up feeling comforted, until he noticed that the spot Tadashi had been in was empty. It was still warm though, implying that he'd left recently. _Chill,_ Hiro scolded himself. He worked his way to his feet and bounced over to his computer. He pulled up his bot-fighting page and started looking for something challenging. Ooh, Hiccup was working on a new bot! And Merida was issuing a pay-to-play challenge to anyone brave enough to take on the two-headed monster she and her brothers had created last summer. Even Hiro hadn't destroyed it yet. ("We made it specifically to throw off your bot," she'd said the one time he'd tried.) Watching other, less experienced people try to take it down was a laugh. That's why there was a set price. Merida was nothing if not fair.

He heard footsteps on the stairs and killed the page. Tadashi appeared, looking rough. Come to think of it, Hiro couldn't remember the last time Tadashi hadn't seemed so tired. No, yes he could, it was back before he'd started college, when they'd graduated from high school. Hiro had been at the top of the class, Tadashi just behind him. The younger had vehemently denied his right to a speech, preferring to devote his energies to the end-of-the-year prank. He and a bunch of other kids had filled the school pool with mystery-flavor kool aid, hidden stink bombs in every single vent (that had been a great time,) super-glued a bunch of lockers shut (specifically the ones in the gym where all the asshole jocks hung out,) replaced the coffee in the teacher's lounge with decaf, and hung a bunch of cheerleader's uniforms from the gym's rafters. They'd done it about a month before school ended so they could enjoy the chaos, and chaos it was. Ah, memories.

"What's got you so happy?" Tadashi asked as he made his way towards his bed.

"Just remembering the last month of school."

"Was it you who got the moths in the last week?"

"I'll never tell." That had happened purely by accident, but who was he to give away the secret. "What are you doing?"

"Gonna help Aunt Cass clean the cafe before opening tomorrow, then it's dinner out with my friends." He smiled. "You?"

"The usual."

"Staying up late so you can sleep all day? Nerd." Tadashi grabbed his hat and smoothed it onto his head. He started to leave again but paused at the top of the stairs.

"Something on your mind?"

"Aunt Cass is going out of town next weekend. I was just wondering if you might want to hang out? And do something she maybe wouldn't approve of?" His tone was cautious, soft.

"Something she wouldn't approve of?"

"I mean, we'll have the TV and I've got this game she thinks you won't like." He smirked. "I know how bad you are at first person shooters."

"Sounds like a challenge."

"That's the plan. So, you up for it?"

"You know it."

"Awesome." He tossed Hiro a wave and clomped down the stairs.

Hiro spent the remainder of the day tinkering with his bot and chatting with his fellow builders online. Jack had uploaded some new footage of his Baby Tooth, a sort of hummingbird-fairy hybrid. Hiro had gone against it in battle and had gotten more and more frustrated. The bot was tiny and incredibly speedy. He'd made the mistake of throwing down his controller and Jack had seized the opportunity and had Tooth pull out the battery. Hiro had lost by technicality. Even Hiccup, whose bots were as incredible as they were strong, couldn't stand up against Tooth. Hiro knew he was working on a bot of a similar size in an attempt to make it even. Hiro didn't think it was going to work.

Night came. Hiro grabbed his bot and a wad of cash. He tiptoed down the stairs and snuck out into the warm, clear night. He loved walking at night in San-Fran, it was as dead now as it was busy during the day. He wound his way through familiar back alleys, avoided the night life scene, and found his way to Merida's underground establishment. Her dad was so cool that he let her and the boys rent this place out, provided they didn't get into any real trouble. It was safe and betting happened on the super down-low, so it was no surprise that it was a favorite hang-out of the bot-fighting newbies. He took his bot and made his way over to the counter that served as their 'bar'. Merida and Anna were behind the counter complaining about their hair, but their eyes lit up when they saw him.

"Hey Hiro! You're early!" Anna squealed.

"There's nothing to do at home. What's planned for tonight?"

"The usual lineup. We've got Mordu up first for anyone who's a beginner, then Elsa's Marshmallow for the more experienced. Hiccup brought Toothless, but after last week I don't think anyone will go up against him." Merida rolled her eyes.

"I will."

"We know you will," Anna giggled, "but we're talking about everyone else."

"Jack's bringing Tooth, Guy has Belt, Eep has her adorable but terrifying cat thing and her brother is bringing Douglas."

"Sounds like there will be a bunch of great fights tonight."

"Well we're only open two days a week. Mum refuses to budge on school nights and even in the summer she says it's too risky." Merida sighed. "The boys will be wreaking havoc tonight too, no doubt."

"Are they bringing that bot from before? The one no one's beaten yet?"

Merida shook her head. "We've had it here the past two months and people are getting frustrated."

Hiro chuckled. "You know it's good when Hiccup and I both can't beat it."

"Well Jack hasn't even tried yet. He just sits and watches every time." Anna twirled one braid around her finger.

Merida groaned. "We hid the weaknesses on purpose. Didn't want to make it too easy for him, but I'm sure he'll figure it out eventually." She turned to Hiro. "You staying all night?"

"I plan to. You are only open two nights a week, after all."

"I hate Mondays but this makes it easier."

Hiro raised an eyebrow. "Even in summer?"

"Summer is worse."

"Her mom is home all day and keeps trying to talk her into doing something else," Anna explained.

"She can't stand the thought of me actually enjoying robot fights, but it's totally cool if the boys are okay with it."

"She'll come around. Oh, are you still in the archery club?"

"And kicking everyone's tail. That's the one good thing about summer; I can get in a lot of practice."

"Do you still have targets all over the house?"

She gave him a cheeky grin. "Mum took them all down but I remember where they were. There are darts everywhere."

The door opened and Anna waved wildly at her sister, Elsa. The blonde had her bot in her arms, a clumsy looking thing that was actually quite powerful. She set it carefully on the bar and made a face at Hiro.

"If he's fighting I'm withdrawing my bot."

"Hiro knows the rules," Merida replied with raised eyebrows, "and he won't break them again."

"You can only hustle once," Hiro agreed.

Merida smacked the back of his head. "Not. At. All."

"Right, right."

He had attempted it back before he realized it was a flat rate. This establishment didn't cater to the right crowd, and besides, it was nice to have a safe place to go. That hadn't prevented the triplets from dragging him outside and giving him what-for _before_ they sat him down and explained the rules to him. He'd had to wear _pants_ for a week so no one would ask questions. Now he kept his head down and only bet when he was sure he'd win. The regular crowd started filtering in, so he made his way over to Hiccup's favorite pit and sat down to wait. Sure enough, the green-eyed boy showed up with Jack and Astrid right around the time it got packed.

It was summer, so the fighting lasted until two in the morning, but Hiro still had ground to cover before he would get home. Guy hugged him tight at the door and Jack slapped him on the back.

"Will you be here tomorrow?" The fair-skinned boy asked.

"Probably not. You know I only come one day a week."

"Right. Don't want to run into any of the people you've hustled." Guy ruffled his hair.

"Hey, cut it out. It was nice watching you guys fight."

"Team battles are awesome. But I'm always the distraction." Guy pouted at Jack.

"Not my fault that Tooth is better at exploiting weaknesses. But I've got to go, Hiccup's helping me work on a new bot."

"A new one?"

"Even more intimidating than Tooth, but not better." He grinned and waved. "Later."

"Guy?" Eep came out the door just then, holding her bot. "We've got to head out before my dad calls the Navy."

"We were late one time. By ten minutes."

"I told you he would do it." She smiled. "Lovely to see you Hiro, as always."

"Nice to see you too."

They walked off hand in hand and Hiro felt a certain peace. Then he turned and headed down the alley. There was a fight nearby that he didn't want to miss.

* * *

Hiro returned to the cafe around six in the morning. His pockets were stuffed with cash and he was pleasantly tired. He snuck up the stairs, grabbed a banana on his way through the kitchen, and ate it as he ascended. He dropped the peel in the trash and stripped down, fully intending to fall into bed, when a noise from Tadashi's side of the room distracted him. It sounded sort of afraid. He turned, surprised, but couldn't see anything through that damned screen. He hesitated a moment before he padded over, quiet as a mouse, and slid it back.

Tadashi was curled up tight on one side of the bed, brow furrowed. His skin was paler than normal and there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead. Hiro tiptoed around and placed is hand against the skin there. His brother was burning up. He bit his lip.

"Dashi?"

Eyelids fluttered and opened. Tadashi looked up, eyes glazed, clearly half-asleep. "What sit?"

Hiro repressed a giggle. "What's wrong?"

"Dreamin'. Tired. Gotto bed."

Hiro smoothed his palm over Tadashi's flushed cheek. "Want me to stay with you?"

"Sounds good. Ham and egg?" His head flopped back onto the pillow and he started to snore.

Well that was... weird. Hiro went back to his side of the room and pulled on a long shirt. He returned to Tadashi's bed and settled himself onto the other side of it, facing opposite his brother. A few seconds later, he felt Tadashi scoot until their backs were touching. There was a loud, content sigh, and Tadashi's breathing settled into an even rhythm. Hiro felt himself smile as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Ta daaaaaaaaa!

Hopefully the word count is worth the wait?

I imagine that a tired Tadashi spews all sorts of nonsense.

Also, I'm sure you all know, but I don't own any of the Dreamworks or Disney Characters.

Which is good.

Sort of.

See you next week!


	3. Chapter 2: Waiting Game, Nightmare

Da da da daaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Here we have another chapter where nothing too terribly exciting happens.

Or at least, not in a sexual way. *pouts*

But hey, we're getting there! Aunt Cass is leaving for a well-deserved girl's weekend.

[I don't know where she's going, okay, I just need her out of the picture for a bit so these two can maybe bump. Uglies.]

Ok, story, then more notes below!

* * *

The next morning, Hiro woke up alone in his own bed. Tadashi's side of the room was empty, his brother had already left. He sat up, confused, and glanced at his desk. There was a purple post-it stuck to his monitor. Hiro sighed, hauled himself out of bed, and padded over. The post it had eight words on it, and they filled Hiro's stomach with hummingbirds.

 _Thanks Bro._

 _Looking forward to this weekend._

 _~Tadashi_

Hiro felt a smile slither across his face. He tucked the note safely into his hoodie pocket and got himself dressed for the day. This weekend couldn't get here fast enough.

* * *

The universe took his off-hand statement to heart. The week absolutely dragged. Nights weren't so bad, there were bots to fight, betting rings to infiltrate, morons to hustle. He saw Guy one night, Jack another, and even snuck a glance at Elsa with the world's least intimidating robot in her arms. He watched her fight a match and re-evaluated his thoughts on that. Her robot was sort of like his, it looked like a snugly snowman but it played like a killer bot. He would have loved to see Hiccup take it on, but that kid was nowhere to be found. He could usually sleep half the day away afterwards, but the afternoons were _so_ boring. Tadashi was at school, Aunt Cass was working the cafe, and Hiro could only tweak his bot so much before he lost interest.

* * *

Thursday finally arrived. Aunt Cass would be closing up early today and leaving the next morning. He and Tadashi were eating breakfast before Tadashi headed for school. He took a slow bite of cereal and watched Tadashi try to eat off the wrong end of his fork. He put his spoon down with a firm 'clink' and fixed Tadashi with a look.

Tadashi sighed. "I know that look."

"And you're getting the brunt of it."

"I'm fine Hiro. My project is just a little more frustrating than I was expecting."

"If by 'a little' you mean 'enough to disrupt your sleep schedule', then yes. It's a _little_ more frustrating. You've spent all this week working on it, not to mention the past few weekends. I demand that you take a break."

"You demand it? I have class too you know."

"Not tomorrow you don't. I'm declaring tomorrow an official rest day."

"Oh you are? Are you going to be around to enforce it?" Tadashi cut a piece of his toast and stuck it into his mouth with a fork. "What?"

"Who in their right mind eats toast with a fork?"

"I... oh." Tadashi sighed. "Fine. I'll stay in tomorrow _if_ you don't go bot-fighting tonight."

"What? But I'm not the one having trouble focusing."

"Says the guy who keeps sneaking into my bed."

Hiro felt his cheeks heat up. "You were the one who said I could come over whenever I wanted to!" His voice matched his cheeks.

"Hey, keep it down!" Tadashi lowered his voice. "I don't mind Hiro. It's kind of nice to feel like you need me." Hiro leveled him with another look. "And yes, I've enjoyed it too. I'm pretty sure I sleep better once you crawl into bed with me." He sat back, cheeks pink. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

"Yes it is. All right, challenge accepted. I'll stay in tonight. Will you be home on time?"

Tadashi rolled his eyes. "Yes big brother, I'll be home on time." He leaned across the table and ruffled Hiro's hair. "I'll even bring you a present."

"Presents will not sway me; I've made up my mind."

"Made up your mind about what sweetie?" Aunt Cass should have been a ninja.

Hiro's mind came up blank, but Tadashi saved him with, "Hiro wants to go to the park on Saturday and he refuses to be denied. So I told him I'll take him." He smirked at Hiro when Aunt Cass wasn't looking.

"Oh that's so sweet! It's been so long since you guys had a boy's day! Do I need to round up the footballs and the Frisbee?"

"No thanks, we've got it covered Aunt Cass." Hiro shot Tadashi a you're-so-dead look.

"Well you'll have to tell me all about it when I get back." She patted his head, collected their dishes, and was gone before either of them could get another word out.

"I officially hate you," Hiro grumbled.

"You do not. Now chill, I've gotta head out."

"Be back by nine."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

And now Hiro had the rest of the day to get through, with no bot fighting to look forward to. He frowned, wondering what else he could do. He headed upstairs. Jack, Guy, and Merida were all online. Hiro watched their conversation for a while. They were all talking about their plans for the weekend. Jack was talking about his new bot, something that would 'make everyone squee when they saw it'. Merida said she'd be happy to test it out against her prize bot but Jack refused the offer.

 _-I want it to work when it's finished Mer._

 _~It will work. You might just have to put it back together._

 _-No one can beat that thing._

 _~No one yet, but Hiccup's going to figure it out. I can feel it._

 _*Has anyone seen him recently?_

 _-He was supposed to help me with my bot, but he's been busy with his lady friend. I don't think she really fancies the bot fighting._

 _*What? But Hiccup's so good at it!_

 _~True, but maybe that's not enough._

 _-He only really does it to test himself. Maybe she's worried about him. It is kind of a tough crowd if you're not used to it._

That was true. Hiro winced as he massaged the area under his left armpit. No one liked to be beaten. Or hustled. Still, hard to turn down a fight when you knew you could win. He checked his stash. Still overflowing. And now it was... just after noon. What was he supposed to do all day? He surveyed his side of the room, considered tidying up, dismissed that notion, and sighed. If he was honest with himself, he really just wanted to be with Tadashi. He pulled the note from before out of the safety of his pocket and smoothed the edges down. Just looking at it made him smile. Typical nerdy brother, leaving a note for him so he wouldn't worry. The thought made him blush. He tucked the note away again and got up. May as well take a walk.

It was nice outside, warm but not hot, sunny but not bright. Hiro let his feet just carry him around, taking in the sights and hills of the area. It didn't matter how often he walked (or trolleyed) these streets, they continued to change. He spent most of the day outside people-watching, waiting for an acceptable time to head back. He wanted to be casual about it, no need to let on to Tadashi that he'd been waiting for him to get home from school. Not that it wouldn't be obvious. He was sure that his older brother would be able to tell just by looking at him. Hiro hid a smile against the back of his hand as he wandered towards home. The street lamps were coming on and he was starting to feel hungry. He had to keep himself from skipping as he made his way back to the cafe. Aunt Cass had already closed up for the night. He could hear her singing in the kitchen and wondered if he'd be able to sneak by.

"Hey Hiro. Did I make it back in time for my curfew?"

Hiro felt his cheeks heat up. He surreptitiously glanced at his watch. "Actually I think you're early."

"Should we go eat with Aunt Cass before she goes to bed?"

"Do we have to?" It came out as a whine.

"Yes."

Hiro turned, ready to argue, but was thrown off by the warmth and humor in his brother's light brown eyes. He heaved a world-weary sigh instead and threw up his hands in defeat. "You win."

"You'll have me all to yourself as soon as she leaves tomorrow. The least we can do is spend the evening with her."

"You're right."

"Whoa, quick, let me get a video of that. You never say those words." Tadashi grinned. "Aunt Cass, we're home!"

"Oh good! I just whipped up some steak and potatoes and brussel sprouts." Hiro made a face until she added, "And there's chocolate mousse for dessert!" She made that last word a song.

Hiro groaned. "Oh no."

"I think you mean, 'Oh yes'!" Tadashi bounded up the stairs. "Be right there!"

It wasn't so bad, really, once he got rid of the dark cloud over his head. They talked and laughed and Hiro ate until he thought his stomach might pop. Afterwards, he and Tadashi shooed Aunt Cass to her room so she could finish packing and stood side-by-side to do the dishes. You'd think the kitchen would have a dishwasher but no, that was downstairs. All upstairs dishes had to be done by hand. Tadashi claimed that it built character; Hiro was reserving judgment. Aunt Cass was the kind of person who cleaned as she went, and Tadashi was the kind of person who preferred to wash, so honestly, Hiro had the easiest job. He was just itching to get Tadashi up to their room, to have his brother all to himself for the weekend. When the last dish was dried and put away, Hiro danced towards the stairs, shooting Tadashi his biggest puppy eyes.

"Go on up ahead of me Hiro. I just want to finish wiping everything down."

Hiro rolled his eyes and flounced upstairs. He rummaged through his dresser, trying to find something functional to wear. Frustrated, he stomped over to Tadashi's side of the room and dug through his shirt drawer. He pulled on one of his brother's T-shirts and breathed in that fresh, clean laundry smell. He frowned. No, that wasn't what he was going for. He stripped out of it and dug through Tadashi's laundry basket. He found a sufficiently long shirt and pulled it on. Tadashi's smell clung to every inch of it, and something inside of Hiro relaxed. He wandered back to his side of the room just as footsteps sounded on the stairs. Tadashi paused on the landing, his eyes wandered Hiro's body, and he smirked.

"You can't find any of your own pajamas to wear?"

"Shut up."

Tadashi glanced towards his side of the room and sighed. "Can't you at least put my clothes away when you're done with them?"

"A messy room is a sign of genius."

"You've used that line before. You can have your part of the room as messy as it suits you, but put my stuff away when you're done with it."

Hiro pouted. "Fine."

Tadashi raised an eyebrow. "Now, Hiro?"

Hiro rolled his eyes but complied. He felt his brother's eyes on him while he refolded the shirt and put it away. He turned around and put his hands on his hips just in time for Tadashi to scoop him up into his arms. Hiro swallowed a gasp of surprise and instinctively looped his arms around Tadashi's neck. Tadashi flopped them both down in front of Hiro's computer screens. The smaller boy shifted around until he was comfortable and leaned against Tadashi with a contented sigh. Tadashi looped an arm around Hiro's waist and dropped his chin onto his shoulder.

"All right brat, now what are we doing?"

"I find the term 'brat' offensive. I would prefer to be called 'your majesty'."

"And what would 'your majesty' like to do this evening?"

Hiro giggled and covered his mouth in horror. He coughed a little and replied, "I guess we could get online and play a game or something."

"You guess?"

"Oh! I got a new book. Why don't you read it to me?"

"You got a new one already?"

"It's a good series. It's about a bunch of kids who become superheroes*." He climbed out of Tadashi's lap and fetched the newest volume from his shelf.

Tadashi resettled himself in Hiro's giant beanbag chair. Hiro handed him the book and nestled into his brother's warm side. Tadashi tucked an arm around him and cleared his throat. A feeling of safety settled around the younger boy as his brother began to read to him. He pressed himself as close as he could and let his ear rest right above the fluttering bird in Tadashi's chest. The elder's breath hitched as the younger snaked an arm around his waist, but his voice soon settled back into a steady rhythm.

Hiro wasn't certain about precisely when it happened. He was dozing off with Tadashi's heartbeat as a lullaby when the next thing he knew he was outside. It took a moment for him to realize that he was dreaming. It snapped into clarity when he saw himself sitting a short distance away. The other Hiro was staring at a building. There was glass everywhere. Flames crackled through the broken windows. He looked around, trying to piece together what could have happened, when the other him opened his mouth and uttered a single, broken word.

"Tadashi."

All the pain in the world was in that word, and the consternation, fear, and loss hit Hiro like a ton of bricks. His senses sharpened into clarity. He could hear frantic yelling, smell the smoke in the air, taste it. He could feel the ground beneath his feet, the heat of the flames still reaching for the sky. Most of all he felt emptiness, a long void stretching the distance of the rest of his life. A life without his brother. Without Tadashi. He wanted to run forward but he was rooted to the spot. The other him looked back, tears pouring down his face-

And Hiro sat up and jammed a hand into his mouth to keep from screaming. His body felt hot; his skin was slick with sweat. The time on his computer screensaver read 00:37. He bit his hand to keep from hyperventilating and glanced to his right. Tadashi wasn't there. Hiro felt the scream trying to get out and told himself to think, but that overwhelming sense of fear and loss still had him in a vice-grip. He stumbled to his feet and hung his head over the wastebasket. His stomach was doing dangerous flips. He heard footsteps and glanced up. Tadashi was standing on the landing.

"Hiro?"

"Dash-" And out came the bile.

Tadashi was beside him in an instant, holding his thin shoulders while he vomited. His brother's hands were warm; they rooted him back to reality. He let himself vomit, inhaled sharply, and rocked on his heels. Tadashi didn't let go of him. That more than anything settled his nausea. He took several deep breaths and opened his eyes to look up at his brother. Tadashi had the strangest look on his face; a combination of confusion and relief. His big hand roved through Hiro's hair and came to settle on his cheek.

"Are you all right? What happened?"

"Where were you?"

"Bathroom. You fell asleep on me and wouldn't let go. Kinda squeezes."

"Nightmare. Bad one." He set his ear over Tadashi's heart. The steady thrum of it was overwhelming. "You were gone. Gone-gone. Forever."

"You mean...I was dead?"

The word chilled him. He couldn't even speak, could only nod. He dug his hands into Tadashi's shirt; clung to the fabric, the smell, the feel of his brother. Tadashi held him, loose but close, until Hiro's panic ebbed away. Now... now he just felt tired. Tadashi smiled a little. He pressed their foreheads together; touched the tip of Hiro's nose with his.

"I'm not going anywhere," he murmured.

"I know."

"Good." He pulled abruptly away, gagging. "Oh god. Your breath. Teeth. Brush. Now."

"No. I'm not moving." He buried his head in Tadashi's shoulder. "You have to carry me."

"I have to?"

"Yes."

"Oi. So much trouble." He yanked Hiro abruptly away, flipped him over his shoulder, and turned around. "But you'd better do a good job or I'm brushing them for you."

"What? We went over teeth-brushing in grade school. I'm not a little kid."

"Says the boy who can't walk himself to the bathroom?"

Hiro's face reddened. "Shut up."

Tadashi plunked him down on the floor and ruffled his hair. "Brush your teeth."

Hiro grumbled something unintelligible about overprotective older siblings and dotted a bead of toothpaste onto his brush. He kept his eyes on Tadashi while he did a thorough cleaning. It took a second pass to get all taste of bile off of his tongue, and a third before he was satisfied that he had indeed gotten all the bits of food out from between his teeth. He considered flossing for all of ten seconds. That was more of a Tadashi thing. Besides, he'd been in the bathroom long enough for one night. He was itching to figure out where in the book he'd fallen asleep so he could go back and re-read the rest of it. He made for the door, but Tadashi caught his shoulder and spun him around.

"What?" Hiro whined.

"I'm checking your teeth."

"I just brushed three times!"

"Humor me."

He rolled his eyes, opened his mouth wide, and stared up at the ceiling. He moved his tongue so Tadashi could look beneath it. He shut his mouth when Tadashi patted him on the head.

"Satisfied?"

"I'm so proud of you for knowing how to brush your teeth!" Tadashi yawned. "Now if it's all right with his majesty, I'm going to bed."

"What? But it's not even one o' clock!"

"Some of us had class all day."

"It's summer, you did not."

"Some of us worked in our lab all day," he amended, "and those of us who didn't fell asleep on those of us who did."

"How much did you read?"

"I don't know, maybe a chapter? What did you do today anyway? Don't you normally stay up all night?"

"I had to wake up early, remember?"

Tadashi tilted his head. "Why didn't you take a nap?"

Hiro blushed. "I didn't want you to think I was just passing time until you came home. Although...I mean that's what I did." He admitted.

Tadashi chuckled. "We've got basically all weekend Hiro." Tadashi flicked him on the forehead. "But you're going to want to get some sleep. We're cleaning all day tomorrow." He scurried away before Hiro could reply.

"What- but- cleaning? Tadashi get back here!"

He chased the fleeing shadow, caught up as he was moving the screen, and tackled him before he got a chance to position it. They landed on the bed in a tangle of limbs. Hiro had the advantage; his brother had a ticklish spot just below his ribs. He wrestled the elder around until he found himself sitting on his stomach. Their chests were heaving with the effort of not laughing; for once they started it would be hard to stop. Hiro put his face right in Tadashi's face, eyes suspicious.

"What's this about cleaning?"

"We're going to clean the cafe for Aunt Cass."

"Nooooo! Whyyyy?"

"Because it would be a nice thing to do for her."

Hiro pouted. "I don't want to be nice."

"You do too." Tadashi yawned and stretched his arms up over his head. "Don't be such a brat. It shouldn't take more than a few hours. And afterwards I'll get to laugh at you while you fail miserably at my first-person shooter."

Hiro rolled his eyes. "I'll do better than you think I will."

"You will not. I picked one with a deep plot and compelling story."

"Oh yeah? Name it."

"Underwater Insane Asylum."

Hiro snorted. "Never heard of it."

"That's because you're out bot-fighting when most of the world is inside playing video games." Tadashi yawned again.

"Tired?"

"Yes."

Hiro climbed off his stomach and went around to his side of the room. He grabbed his book and his pillow. Tadashi had already scooted himself over so Hiro made himself comfortable on the far side of the bed. Once he was settled, Tadashi scooted until his back was pressed up against his brother's side. Hiro rested his arm on Tadashi's shoulder and flipped open his book. He was surprised to find that Tadashi had read more to him than he thought. He had just finished a page when Tadashi made a sleepy noise that sounded like his name.

"Hi?"

"Yeah Dashi?"

"That dream you had...how did I die?"

"Oh. There was a fire. I guess you were...in it."

A long silence. Tadashi reached back and squeezed Hiro's leg. "Don't worry," he said finally, "I won't do anything that stupid."

"Good. I'd have to drag you back from hell myself and that wouldn't be pretty." Hiro kept his tone light to hide the fear beneath the surface.

Tadashi chuckled. "I know."

Hiro pretended to read until he heard the sound of Tadashi's breathing change. Once he was sure the elder was asleep, he closed his eyes and bit his knuckle, hard. His stomach bounced, his heart beat with something like anxiety. Hiro pressed himself a little harder against Tadashi's warm side and forced himself to read. Gradually his heart slowed and his eyelids started to droop. He set his book down and eased his back along Tadashi's. His brother's warmth radiated through him and soothed him into a pleasant sleep.

* * *

*This totally isn't a reference to Big Hero Six. At all. It's not. If you haven't at least looked at the Marvel Comic Runaways... I mean what are you even doing with your life?

Hey look! It's a dream scene that looks like a scene from a movie we all watched and then violently rejected from our reality! Or at least I did. I reject the reality of Tadashi being dead. If Callahan's allowed to survive, so is Tadashi.

Also if you thought that was sappy, you're not alone. I promise it's the only part like that for a while.

And if you haven't played Underwater Insane Asylum (also known by the less popular name of 'Bioshock' =D) then again, WHAT ARE YOU EVEN DOING IN YOUR SPARE TIME?

Yes Hiro will suck at it when we get there and yes it will be fucking hilarious.

Ta ta until next week. I have to write more now. ^^


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